Midmorning ceased broadcast on February 20, 2012 and was replaced by The Daily Circuit.

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Policing the conventionThe St. Paul police is trying to complete the remaining number of officers they'd like to have to provide security around the Republican National Convention beginning September 1. Those officers will have to be ready for any number of emergencies while handling an expected large number of demonstrators.9:06 a.m.

The problem of political samenessSoon lawn signs for presidential and senate candidates among others will sprout on lawns. And you might notice a certain uniformity in the party affiliations in your neighborhood. That uniformity is not completely accidental and might hurt our political process, argues author Bill Bishop.10:06 a.m.

Guests

Bill Bishop: author of "The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart." He was special projects reporter at the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman.

Jim Gimpel: professor of government at the University of Maryland and author of "Patchwork Nation: Sectionalism and Political Change in American Politics" (2003).